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Workshop Descriptions
To learn more about a presenter, select the presenter's name.
Effective Multi-Sensory Tools to Keep Kids in School and Improve School Climate
presented by:
Christian Moore, Founder, The WhyTry Organization, Provo, UT
grade level: K-12
This presentation provides the audience with several methods to teach emotional intelligence and life skills. The workshop emphasizes a strength-based approach to helping youth overcome their challenges using multiple intelligence methods emphasizing the youths' learning styles. The program presented is proven to increase graduation rates, reduce truancy, and improve school climate. Participants will learn how to empower youth to overcome poverty, violence and failure; teach youth how to take the challenges they face in life and channel them in a positive direction; and help youth build a positive support system.
Teaching & Parenting with Love & Logic
presented by:
Connie Treis, Marriage and Family Therapist, Synchrony of Visalia, Inc., Visalia, CA
Gary Styer, Instructor, Madera South High School, Madera, CA and Fresno City College, Fresno, CA
grade level: K-12
This couple teams up to offer an in-depth overview and discussion of "Teaching with Love and Logic" which parallels, "Parenting with Love and Logic" and "Parenting Teens with Love and Logic." This is a model found extremely useful in dissolving and diverting power struggles for student/teacher/parent in positive ways. They will present ways to manage power-struggle behaviors while meeting the social and emotional needs of the child or teen. Participants will look at parenting and teaching styles and the impact they can have on the child and teen behaviors. There is a focus on the importance of reciprocity and making amends while leaving the student's emotional well-being intact. There will be anecdotal examples of how this system works in the classroom and with families. Teens, children, teachers and parents resolve their conflicts with empathy, logical boundaries, and reasonable consequences and stay joy-filled. Participants will receive a practical list of 13 things to do in the classroom or home to manage difficult behavior before calling in the Principal or other authority figure. Communication methods between teachers and students and between students and parents will be suggested.
A Mindfulness-based Approach to Working with Incarcerated and High-Risk Adolescents
presented by:
Sammy Himelstein, Program Manager, Mind Body Awareness Project, Oakland, CA
Vinny Ferraro, Training Director, Mind Body Awareness Project, Oakland, CA
grade level: Middle & High School; Transitional-aged Youth (ages 18-19)
Participants will gain an understanding of the Mind Body Awareness Project (MBA) and its mission of awaking the intrinsic value in young people through mindfulness and emotional intelligence. This workshop will include a brief presentation of our curriculum and skills necessary to facilitate a therapeutic group process with incarcerated male adolescents. Clinical skills relevant to facilitating groups with incarcerated/high-risk adolescents will be covered, along with how to effectively engage this population in mindfulness meditation. Research support and theoretical underpinnings will be presented briefly, and time will be allotted towards the end for question and answers. This model is especially relevant to professionals working with adolescents dealing with severe delinquency, conduct disorder, and incarceration.
English Learning in Action, After School Style
presented by:
Nora Zamora, Program Manager, After School Academics - California After School Resource Center, a statewide organization based at the Alameda County Office of Education in Hawyard, CA
grade level: K-12
In this interactive presentation, participants learn simple strategies for helping English learners (ELs) thrive socially and academically in after school programs. An overview of the language acquisition levels is followed by hands-on, easy-to-implement supports, including total physical response, visual aids, and read-alouds. This session is grounded in research and features culturally-relevant practices to support the holistic development of ELs. Participants also obtain information about FREE resources, online trainings, and services from the California After School Resource Center (CASRC), administered for the California Department of Education.
Learning English and Beyond: Supporting English Learners in After School
presented by:
Jimena Quiroga, Senior Consultant, ThrivePoint Group, Oakland, CA
Jhumpa Bhattacharya, Senior Consultant, ThrivePoint Group, Oakland, CA
grade level: K-12
After school programs across the country are experiencing an increase in the number of young people who enroll in their programs who are English Language Learners. However, few programs have the support or training to understand the unique academic and social needs for immigrant students and English Language Learners. Through a video and interactive activities, this workshop will share research-based strategies to address three basic needs of English Learners: support in learning English, support for maintaining and developing their home language and culture, and support to address the socio-emotional needs of immigrant and English Language Learner students.
Media-based Service Learning and Prevention Programs
presented by:
Dr. John Minkler, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Multicultural Cooperation, Fresno, CA
grade level: High School
The Center for Multicultural Cooperation offers service learning media programs that guide youth to express their public voice and preserve their community's legacy! Students learn and practice 21st Century media technology and leadership skills, as they plan and produce professional videos, including PSAs and mini-documentaries. They serve their school and community by producing videos that address issues of health, sustainability, and violence prevention. California Voices includes after school and summer programs guiding students to preserve stories of elders who have made significant contributions to culture, community, and country through 5-minute videos.
Early Environmental Effects on Brain Development and Behavior in the Later Years
presented by:
Dr. Edwyn W. Ortiz-Nance, MAOB, Psy.D., Clinical Director, Synchrony of Visalia, Inc. and Assistant Director, Alliant International University Office of Professional Training and Placement
grade level: Pre-K, Elementary, Middle, & High School
This presentation will focus on what developmental trauma is and how it affects early brain development and later presentation in the school grades. Participants will gain a working knowledge of typical brain development and brain chemistry. They will also learn how physical touch and nutrition can impact brain growth and networking. We will review fear-based responses that can develop in children with developmental trauma, as well as discuss look-alike disorders, such as Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), childhood depression, adjustment disorders and Nonverbal Learning Disorders (NLD).
CHARACTER COUNTS! Everywhere ... All the Time
presented by:
Kelley Petty, CHARACTER COUNTS! Coordinator, Tulare County Office of Education, Visalia, CA
John Forenti, CHARACTER COUNTS! Trainer, Josephson Institute of Ethics, Los Angeles, CA
grade level: Elementary & Middle School
The school bell rings at the end of the day and the after school day is just getting started! Come and learn how you can make sure that character counts in your after shool program. This session will provide actual lesson ideas and implementation strategies that revolve around the extended day goals for your students. From behavior support guidelines to aligning grade level lessons with Civic Education, these practical ideas will be ready for you to use when the next school bell rings.
Playing for Keeps: What Educators and Clinicians Should Know About Adopted and Foster Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder
presented by:
Dr. Kyle Weir, Ph.D., Associate Professor/Program Coordinator, California State University, Fresno, Dept. CSER, Counselor Education Program
grade level: Pre-K, Elementary, & Middle School
Adopted and foster children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) present unique challenges in both their families and school systems. This workshop outlines the use of Whole Family Theraplay, an exciting clinical treatment approach, designed for adoptive and foster families struggling with RAD. Dr. Weir at Fresno Family Counseling Center (a student-training clinic operated by the MFT program at Fresno State) collaborated with the Theraplay Institute in Chicago to develop this innovative model. Educators and school-based clinicians will learn how to "play for keeps" to enhance family attachment where children with RAD struggle in their relationships and mental health.
Strengthening and Coordinating Communication for Foster Youth
presented by:
Charlotte A. Wittig, Commissioner, Juvenile Court of Tulare County, Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia, CA
Beth Wilshire, Program Manager, CASA of Tulare County, Visalia, CA
grade level: Pre-K, Elementary, Middle, & High School
This presentation will help strengthen and coordinate communication among parties who work with foster youth to assist in better understanding the issues they face as they navigate through the foster care system. Participants will understand the foster care system, and be able to identify the special needs of foster children in the education system. They will also be able to identify resources available to assist educators with meeting the needs of foster youth in Tulare County.
Helping Foster Youth be Successful in School
presented by:
Charlotte A. Wittig, Commissioner, Juvenile Court of Tulare County, Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia, CA
Renee Smylie, Child Welfare Services Director, Tulare County Health and Human Services, Visalia, CA
grade level: K-12
This presentation will cover the difficulties foster children have in school and how educators can help them succeed in school and life. Participants will learn how academic performance and school connectedness can be affected in foster children. We will discuss how changing foster homes can create gaps in learning, as well as how to address those issues and what services are available through the court system and Child Welfare Services.
Transition to Manhood: The Jovenes Integral Youth (JIY) Program
presented by:
Dr. Cheryl Chancellor-Freeland, Ph.D., Integral Community Solutions Institute (ICSI), Fresno, CA
Dr. Juan C. Garcia, Ph.D., Integral Community Solutions Institute (ICSI), Fresno, CA
grade level: Middle & High School; Transitional-aged Youth (ages 18-21)
Teenage years represent a pivotal transition into adulthood. A critical area of brain development during this time is the circuit from the impulsive area deep in the brain to the frontal, social cognition portion. The Jovenes Integral Youth (JIY) program for male youth has been developed with neural principles in mind, the goal being to modify the critical neural pathway and to promote capacity for deliberate planning and strategizing. JIY involves three components, each essential to its success: mindful intention, belief and values. We will discuss the background and rationale for JIY, as well as the protocol for implementation of the program.
Suicide Prevention
presented by:
Noah Whitaker, Administrative Specialist II, Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force Coordinator, Visalia, CA
Carla Sawyer, PHN, Supervising Public Health Nurse, Tulare County Health and Human Services, Visalia, CA
grade level: Middle & High School
This presentation provides an introduction to the topics of suicide and suicide prevention using the activities, programs, and initiatives of the Tulare County Suicide Prevention Task Force to illustrate a range of strategies including prevention, early intervention, and postvention. The focus of the presentation is a community-based approach to preventing suicide. Signs and symptoms associated with suicide risk will be highlighted. The most recent data on local, state, and national suicides will be discussed, and an overview of broadly available resources. The presentation will heavily highlight suicide and suicide risk among the school-aged population, and will include information on bullying, substance abuse, emotional/physical abuse, "random" suicides, and other associated risk factors.
What do Jay-Z and Language Arts Have in Common?
presented by:
Franklin Rossman, Director, The Incomparable Shakespeare, New York, NY
grade level: Middle & High School
Did you know that Hip-Hop can be an effective teaching tool that students will not only relate to, but will also enjoy? Learn how to apply your knowledge of music to the classroom through this innovative look at music from a literacy perspective. This presentation will discuss ways to develop curriculum that teaches English standards through music. You will learn more about the English curriculum, created by Franklin, which has three progressive movements that analyze rap lyrics, Hip-Hop-based literature, and Hip-Hop journalism. This curriculum can be implemented as part of an English class or as creative writing workshops.
Putting it All Together: Planning With the End in Mind for a High Impact Summer Program
presented by:
Larry Smith, Program Quality Manager, National Summer Learning Association, Baltimore, MD
grade level: Middle & High School
Youth Outcomes, Program Improvements, Best Practices, Aligning with Partners ... that's a lot to keep track of as you plan your program! The National Summer Learning Association has developed comprehensive indicators of quality to guide programs in a planning process based on intended youth outcomes. Learn how to use the indicators to plan, partner and continually assess and improve program quality. Plan with the end in mind to empower your staff, youth and partners to achieve all of your summer program goals. By the end of the workshop, participants will understand major domains of summer program quality; apply quality indicators to program design; learn how to collaborate with partners in the planning process; and learn how to access the resources and assistance of the National Summer Learning Association.
STEM for ALL
presented by:
Soledad Alfaro, Director of Expanded Learning, Foundations, Inc., Moorestown, NJ
grade level: K-12
Afterschool is the ideal place to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). You don't have to be a science whiz to learn how to get kids computing, engineering, and experimenting. All staff can learn how to plan for and support fun, hands-on science and math learning in their program. Participants will come away with strategies and techniques, including projects, inquiry, and data collection, for incorporating STEM content into out-of-school time programming and learn tips for facilitating STEM experiences and creating a STEM supportive environment. This workshop is appropriate for site coordinators and directors of afterschool programs, teachers, and school administrators who work with students in elementary, middle, and high school.
Using After School for Outreach and Support: Empowering our Youth, Affecting Tomorrow
presented by:
Cathye M. Estes, M.A., After School Site Coordinator, McLane High School, Fresno, CA
grade level: High School
This workshop is designed to show how High School After School Programs can be the bridge to the regular school day. Through academic tutorial enrichment, credit recovery, and community service, youth attendance, grades, and test scores have improved. The After School Program is the hub of the school for activities, academics, athletics, career/vocational training, college workshops, and postsecondary transitions. We will explore ways to develop multiple community partners to help deliver outreach to youth as well as support programs and events. Students can achieve a 3.0 GPA and above, while peer tutoring and receive community service hours and credits for their services. Choose to EMPOWER and AFFECT YOUTH FUTURE through "PURPOSE".
Crucial Links, Practical Strategies: Aligning School and After School for EL Success
presented by:
Jennifer Kobrin, Assistant Director, Language and Literacy, Foundations, Inc., Moorestown, NJ
grade level: K-12
This workshop uses promising practices identified by school and after school leaders across California to explore concrete strategies for aligning classroom-based supports for English Learners with after school, summer, and other extended day programs. Participants will explore the stages of second language development and appropriate supports at each stage; learn new ideas for using hands-on, engaging language and literacy activities that help students master school-day standards; and use a tool developed by California-based educators to reflect on what is currently in place and plan for next steps. This workshop is appropriate for site coordinators and directors of after school programs, teachers, and school administrators who work with ELs of all ages and language abilities.
Using Students' Perspectives to Inform Our Support Processes: Best Practices and Next Steps
presented by:
Gretchen Brion-Meisels, Doctoral Candidate, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA
grade level: Middle & High School
This presentation will highlight findings from a study of middle school students' experiences with learning supports that can be used to inform school-based support processes. The research asked participants (n=32) to photograph and label their own learning supports; a subset of students were then interviewed about their photographs. Highlighted findings focus on the importance of relationships, the need to include youth in conversations about their own support systems, and the power of helping others as a means of helping oneself. Workshop participants will be given an opportunity to think about the student support processes in their own communities and to consider future directions for programming. Workshop participants will also be able to define and conceptualize learning supports, from the perspectives of students, as well as consider some of the factors that contribute to how students choose and experience learning supports.
New Funding Opportunities for Nutrition
presented by:
Kathryn Quillen, Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Service, Alexandria, VA
Crystal Weedall FitzSimons, Director, Food Research and Action Center, Washington, D.C.
grade level: K-8
Good nutritious food is an important part of quality after school programs. Recent improvements to the after school nutrition programs make them even more attractive. Participants will learn how to access and apply for funding through the federal child nutrition programs; improve the nutrition quality of the food served in the after school program; and utilize resources to improve the environment of the afterschool program. This presentation is especially relevant to individuals serving children who attend after school programs in lower income areas, or are eligible for free/reduced-priced school meals.
Listen. Learn. Repeat: Addressing Inequality in STEM and General College Graduation Rates
presented by:
Donyale Reavis, Esq., Executive Director, CORE Scholarships, Philadelphia, PA
grade level: Middle & High School
This presentation will address young people who are in 8th through 12th grades. They are students that either: (a) are senior high school students who have a demonstrable financial need and plan to attend college; or (b) are 8th-grade students who have already developed a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. We will learn how to nurture, develop, and sustain these students through high school graduation with the use of project-based and real world learning opportunities. Participants will also explore a fiscal responsibility component which encourages greater parental/family/community support for students through the establishment of individual savings accounts for a deferred scholarship award to accumulate interest and additional contributions during the high school years prior to being disbursed.
Building Support Systems to Support Our Youth
presented by:
Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., Expert on the State of Education in America
grade level: K-12
Providing support to young people so that they can avoid the obstacles and pitfalls that undermine many requires communities to develop comprehensive support systems. To be effective, these systems must be based upon effective inter-agency collaborations between schools, law enforcement, healthcare, parks and recreation, churches, neighborhood youth-serving non-profits and the private sector. This presentation will describe the elements of such a support system and utilize the experiences of other jurisdictions to make the case for what might be possible in this region.
Using Action Research: From Theory to Practice
presented by:
Jessica Lipschultz, Senior Program Officer, Youth Development Institute, New York, NY
Annie Moyer, Director of Education, Youth Development Institute, New York, NY
grade level: High School & Transitional-aged youth (ages 18-24)
Several members of Youth Development Institute (YDI) applied an action research process to study their own practice of implementing two of YDI's capacity-building approaches with direct service providers: professional learning communities and social group work method to systematically improve the quality of outcomes for staff and youth. The presentation will cover both how to use action research as a method for studying one's own practice, as well as how this group created professional learning communities. This presentation is especially relevant to professionals working with youth enrolled in a pre-GED program or transfer high school.
Fueling Your Brain for Mental Health Through Nutrition, Exercise and Sleep
presented by:
Peggie Salsubury, Psychologist Intern, Synchrony, Visalia, CA
grade level: K-12
We all feel anxious, sad, and irritable at times. This presentation will cover strategies that will help you deal with normal levels of these feelings, as well as how to minimize such periods of well-being. We will also cover ways to get the most out of your life through healthy eating, exercising, and sleeping habits to enhance the brain's longevity and improve your memory. Learn how to maximize a vibrant life, free of self-imposed limitations.
Cooperative Learning and Student Engagement
presented by:
Amber Paim, Instructional Strategies Coach and Teacher, Mt. Whitney High School, Visalia, CA
grade level: High School
This approach to classroom learning, when used appropriately, has enormous positive effects on academic achievement, as well as social development and relationships. Cooperative learning places students in mixed-ability groups in which students work together to achieve a common academic goal. This presentation will cover the Kagan method of Cooperative Learning and how it is best applied in high school. It includes a guided demonstration of how to create mixed-ability groups in an effective way. The presentation will specifically address the four aspects that make activities cooperative learning rather than group work, as well as how to make sure your lessons include them.
Managing Conflicts in the Workplace: Promoting Healthy Boundaries
presented by:
Beverly J. Anderson, MFT, PPS, Trainer/Consultant, Heartworks, Inc., Visalia, CA
grade level: K-12
Often, managers shy away from dealing with difficult situations between co-workers in the workplace. Situations sometimes arise from honest disagreements, personnel or benefit matters, management decisions or actions and other situations where individual workers impressions, perceptions and objectives differ. As our workforce becomes increasingly diverse, there is even greater potential for interpersonal conflicts in the workplace. This presentation will help participants be more aware of potential conflicts, given the differing values, cultural background and objectives your staff brings to the situation. It will also help participants be better prepared for potential conflicts and anticipate where conflict may arise. Participants will be able to prepare a better plan for, manage and facilitate conflict and enable co-workers to problem-solve together and resolve conflict peacefully.
Reduce Student Stress: Learn Simple Techniques that Strengthen Different Learning Styles
presented by:
Dr. Shirley Baker, Ph.D., Director for the International Language Education and Cultural Center, Alliant International University, Fresno, CA
grade level: K-12
When you recognize and understand ways to support different learning styles with simple but effective techniques, you improve student understanding and retention. Student stress is reduced. Teaching or caring for students and meeting their thought processing needs does not mean you have to expand your teaching time, you just need to adapt your delivery so everyone can receive and understand what you need them to learn or do. The workshop will explain different learning styles and provide practical ways everyone can better teach or support those who process differently.
Motivating the Difficult-to-Motivate Child
presented by:
Barry Sommer, Educational Psychologist and Marriage & Family Therapist, The Helix Group, Visalia, CA
grade level: K-12
Many educators, specialists, and parents struggle with motivating their students to achieve and behave at school. What interferes with intrinsic motivation? What supports a child's inner propelling force to be energized to succeed in school? What incentives and rewards work best? In this practical workshop, we'll explore the current research on what helps to energize the most discouraged and disordered learners.
Engagement: The Hidden Curriculum of Effective Classroom Instruction
presented by:
William Waxman, District Administrator, Simi Valley Unified School District, Simi Valley, CA
grade level: Middle & High School
This presentation will cover how teaching is not effective if the student is not engaged. An immediate obstacle to engagement is the teacher's ability to create an emotionally and intellectually safe classroom. This presentation will provide strategies that can remove learning obstacles, many of which are often either unwittingly created or ignored by the teacher. Participants will identify and confront the five most common instructional errors, be provided with immediately implementable tools for change, and engage in role play that root out the problems in the hidden curriculum of effective instruction. The audience will leave with specific strategies to create: an emotionally safe classroom; an intellectually safe classroom and a "Culture of Explanation," instead of a "Culture of the Right Answer."
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